Landon Collins
| Alabama Crimson Tide – No. 26 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Safety |
| Class | Junior |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | January 10, 1994 New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 222 lb (101 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| High school | Geismar (LA) Dutchtown |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| |
Landon Collins (born January 10, 1994) is an American football safety. He played college football at Alabama.
Early years
A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Collins grew up in the Algiers neighborhood. When Hurricane Katrina hit the city in 2005, Collins and his family had to leave, and eventually settled in Geismar in Ascension Parish.
High school career
Collins attended Dutchtown High School, where he was a two-sport star in football and track. In football, he was an All-American defensive back. As a sophomore, he had 26 tackles with 1.5 sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery, while playing alongside senior Eric Reid. Replacing Reid, Collins accounted for 102 tackles with 12 tackles for loss and four interceptions as a junior, earning an 5A All-State selection by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. The Dutchtown Griffins went unbeaten through the regular season and entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, only to be upset 29–14 by No. 24 New Iberia Westgate in the Class 5A quarterfinals.[1] The Griffins finished the season with a 12–1 record. As a senior, Collins excelled on both sides of the ball. On offense, he rushed for 1,218 yards and 21 touchdowns while averaging 13.7 yards per carry. Meanwhile, in the defensive backfield, he had 34 tackles with four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. Collins became the first player in LSWA history to earn 5A All-State honors on both sides of the ball.[2] He led the Griffins to their second straight 10-0 regular season and District 5-5A title. However, in the opening round of the 5A playoffs, they were upset 28–14 by Ponchatoula.[3] For his individual achievements, Collins earned All-American honors by Parade and USA Today. He also starred in the 2012 Under Armour All-America Game, recording an interception and keying a goal-line stand.[4]
Also an standout track & field athlete, Collins was one of the state's top sprinters while at Dutchtown. At the 2011 Josten's Invitational, Collins ran the second leg on the Dutchtown 4x100m squad, helping lead them to victory and setting a new school record at 41.10 seconds.[5] He won the 100-meter dash at the 2012 Episcopal 4-Way Championships, recording a personal-best time of 10.28 seconds.[6] He also posted a career-best time of 21.60 seconds in the 200-meter dash at the 2012 Josten's Invitational, where he placed first.[7] At the LHSAA Class 5A State Championships, Collins ran the second leg on the Dutchtown 4x200m squad, helping them claim the state title with a time of 1:25.40 minutes.[8] In addition, he also ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash and had a 36-inch vertical jump.
Recruiting
Regarded as a five-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, Collins was ranked as the No. 2 safety prospect in his class.[9] Recruited by nearly every major school, Collins narrowed his choice down to Alabama and Louisiana State. He announced his decision live at the Under Armour All-America Game, choosing the Crimson Tide, much to the dismay of his mother.[10][11] Collins acknowledged that he “actually made the decision two years ago.”[4]
College career
As a true freshman at Alabama, Collins contributed as a backup. He started on the kickoff and punt coverage units on and saw reserve action at safety in all 14 season games, recording 17 tackles and blocking a punt. He tied for the team lead with 10 special teams tackles, including nine on kickoff coverage and one on punt coverage. He became a starter his sophomore season in 2013 after Vinnie Sunseri suffered a season ending injury. He finished the year with 70 tackles and two interceptions. As a junior he led the team with 98 tackles and three interceptions. He was named an unanimous All-American.[12]
After his junior season, Collins entered the 2015 NFL Draft.[13][14]
College statistics
| Year | GP | TSolo | TAsst | TOT | TFL | TFLYDS | SCK | SCKYDS | INT | INTYDS | TD | FF | FR | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
13 |
54 |
15 |
69 |
4.0 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
89 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1
| |
13 |
51 |
39 |
90 |
3.5 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
14 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0
| |
| Total | 26 | 105 | 54 | 159 | 7.5 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 103 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Professional career
Prior to his junior season, Collins was projected a high first-round selection in the 2015 NFL Draft by various mock drafts.[15][16][17]
References
- ^ Template:Wayback
- ^ "Dutchtown's Landon Collins named Louisiana's 2012 Mr. Football". The Baton Rouge Advocate. January 1, 2012.
- ^ "Legendary coach Tierney leads upstart Ponchatoula into second round".
- ^ a b "Bama lands five-star S Landon Collins". ESPN.com. January 6, 2012.
- ^ http://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/MeetResults.aspx?Meet=114349#18414
- ^ http://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/MeetResults.aspx?Meet=154244#18414
- ^ http://la.milesplit.com/meets/114214-episcopal-jostens-invitational#.VAVW4vmSwrk
- ^ http://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/MeetResults.aspx?Meet=167432#18414
- ^ http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/rankings/rank-2899
- ^ ESPNU Landon Collins Announcement on YouTube
- ^ Alabama-bound safety Landon Collins picked Tuscaloosa over LSU to his mother's dismay
- ^ Alabama safety Landon Collins makes unanimous All-American status
- ^ Bama's Cooper, Collins to enter draft
- ^ Landon Collins reportedly leaving Alabama, will enter NFL draft
- ^ Brugler, Dane (May 11, 2014). "2015 NFL mock draft: Big Ten, ACC prospects lead the way". CBS Sports.
- ^ Sobleski, Brent (May 11, 2014). "2015 mock draft: Jameis Winston slips out of Top 5". USA Today.
- ^ Burke, Chris (May 13, 2015). "2015 NFL Mock Draft 1.0: Cedric Ogbuehi goes No. 1 overall to Oakland Raiders". Sports Illustrated.